DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) has announced the lineup for its 2014
Cultivate food, music and ideas festival series, with events planned in
San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Now in its fourth
year, the one-day festivals all include cooking demonstrations by
celebrity chefs, live music, local food artisans, breweries, wineries, a
special Chipotle festival menu, and other activities emphasizing fresh
and affordable food made with sustainably raised ingredients. Cultivate
San Francisco will be held on Saturday, June 7 in Golden Gate Park’s
Hellman Hollow; Cultivate Minneapolis is on Saturday, August 23 in
Loring Park; and Cultivate Dallas-Ft. Worth is Saturday, October 18 at
Lake Carolyn in nearby Irving, Tex. Admission for all events is free.

“We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food, and that
includes helping people understand more about how food is raised and
prepared,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer
at Chipotle. “The Cultivate events allow us to bring people together for
a celebration of food and music, but also to educate them about how food
can be raised responsibly.”

In addition to live music and onsite chef demonstrations, each Cultivate
event will include five interactive experiences focused on sustainable
food – including themes that let attendees explore the importance of
animal welfare, issues surrounding GMOs, the secret to making Chipotle’s
famous guacamole, and the reality of processed foods – as well as a
Kids’ Zone that will feature activities and snacks. All three festivals
will have an Artisans’ Hall offering a wide selection of local
artisan-crafted food for purchase, and a Tasting Hall serving local
specialty beers, wines, and ciders. This year, Chipotle is again
partnering with a local brewer in each Cultivate city to create
‘Cultivate Farmhouse Ale,’ a Saison-style beer that will be exclusively
available at each festival.

In the spirit of healthful, sustainable food, Chipotle’s culinary team
has also created a special menu of food that can be purchased at the
festival. Food offerings will include a grilled flatbread with barbacoa
or pork belly; chicken and Sofritas tacos; a vegetarian baby kale salad
with the choice of adding steak; and a jasmine rice bowl with pork and
chicken meatballs or organic tofu from ShopHouse Southeast Asian
Kitchen, Chipotle’s Asian concept.

To give customers a chance to attend one of the festivals regardless of
where they live, Chipotle is partnering with IZZE™ Sparkling Juice to
give away a trip for two to the Cultivate event of the winner’s choice
in San Francisco, Minneapolis or Dallas. The prize includes air
transportation, hotel, ground transportation, spending money, and
special event-day privileges at Cultivate. To enter, text “IZZE5” to
30364 and reply OK. Entries must be received between Monday, March 31
and Monday, April 28. No purchase necessary to enter and for full
contest rules please visit chipotle.com/izzesweeps.

FESTIVAL DETAILS

The musical lineup for Cultivate San Francisco includes the Neon Trees,
Andrew McMahon, Charli XCX, Smallpools, and an opening band to be
announced at a later date. Chefs featured at the event will include
Graham Elliot (“Iron Chef” and “Top Chef Masters”); Amanda Freitag
(Empire Diner, “Chopped” and “The Next Iron Chef”); Sarah and Evan Rich
(Rich Table); Dennis Lee (Namu Gaji and Smokestack); Nick Balla and
Courtney Burns (Bar Tartine); and Minh Tsai (Hodo Soy Beanery).

Cultivate Dallas-Ft. Worth details will be announced later this summer.

Chipotle’s inaugural Cultivate Festival was held in Chicago in 2011 with
festivals also held in Denver and San Francisco. This year’s festival is
hosted with the support of other like-minded partners, including IZZE™
Sparkling Juice; Hand Grown California Avocados; Tabasco® Brand
Products; Applegate; Ben & Jerry’s; Breville; Lifeway Kefir; WÜSTHOF;
Earthbound Farm; and Arrowhead, Ice Mountain & Ozarka Spring Water
Brands.

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea
that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience.
Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos,
burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from
fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking
methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of
Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using
ingredients that are not only fresh, but that—where possible—are
sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the
land, and the farmers who produce the food. A similarly focused people
culture, with an emphasis on identifying and empowering top performing
employees, enables us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle
opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than
1,600 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.